explore / learn / meet
DELIGHTFUL
DUBLIN w ith E m il y We s t b r o o k s
6 neighborhoods 7 doable day trips
AND 194 best loved spots!
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WELCOME When I moved to Dublin in 2008, I can’t say it was love at first sight. I was newly married and had given up my job working on political campaigns in the United States to move to Dublin with my Irish husband for one year. Somehow that one year quickly became two, and then my husband went back to graduate school and I wasn’t sure how temporary our stay would be. In my first months in Dublin, I struggled to find work and learn how to drive on the left side of the road. As I wandered up and down cobblestoned streets, I couldn’t see delightful Dublin at first. The city was coming down from the roaring Celtic Tiger into a deep recession; shops would close every week and the depression felt palpable throughout the city.
But some time after that difficult first year, the tide began to shift and I found myself falling in love with my adopted city. I had started a blog, mostly to let my family and friends back home in Maine know what life was like in my new city. Through writing online every day, I found myself consciously looking for and finding the bright spots to share with my readers. The recession began to lift, and small independent businesses began to thrive again. I quickly had more to share with my blog readers than I had time to write. Armed with my newfound love of Dublin, I began writing for magazines and websites about the city, telling readers around the world what to look for on a visit here. In 2012, I started giving walking tours, pointing out the wonderful things Dublin had to offer that you might not find in a typical guidebook.
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I couldn’t s about what has grown delightful p beautiful, i
Delight standby
It is a colle from impor cafes and r places to p
When I beg to my frien thoughtful dream to c designer an these pages
I hope you that throug I hope you sipping coff bring home
And I h delight
stop telling my blog readers, family, friends, and tours t I’d discovered in this delightful city. This guidebook from that passion for sharing the most unexpected and places around Dublin. It is designed to be both useful and informative and inspirational.
tful Dublin is not a list of the old y’s and tourist traps.
ection of the best Dublin has to offer, both old and new rtant landmarks and storied historical locations, to cool restaurants, the best shops to buy Irish design, and the top people watch.
gan exploring the idea of writing this guidebook, I turned nd Julie Matkin. Julie is, first and foremost, a creative and soul. She immediately understood and believed in my create a Delightful Dublin book. Julie is a photographer and nd her talents have made Delightful Dublin come alive on s.
ur experience meeting Dublin is different than mine. I hope gh these pages, you’ll fall in love with Dublin at first sight. u’ll be able to picture yourself walking down the streets, ffee at a cute cafe, and collecting beautiful souvenirs to e with you.
hope you find Dublin to be just tful.
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Using the guide Six neighborhoods Each neighborhood is an area of the city you can spend a day or an afternoon exploring. They are very walkable, but I’ve also included transportation tips to help you get from one neighborhood to another.
The nitty gritty I’ve tested this e-guide on laptops, tablets and phones and found that the Kindle Reading App is great for flicking through the book and enjoying the content. But in the app you might miss a handy feature - I’ve linked the names of delightful spots in the directories to their websites. It’s great for making reservations or checking opening times before you even arrive in Dublin! To take advantage of the links, view the guide in a browser or save it to Google Drive or Dropbox. When you’re here, keep the guide handy on your phone or tablet so you can check up on details to get the most out of exploring each neighbourhood.
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heu s t o n s t a ti o n
heu s t o n / m u s eu m Q u a r te r
hi s Qua
uide N o r th G e o r gi a n Q u a r te r
c o n n o ll y s t a ti o n
r i v e r liffe y
t r i n it y c o llege & Docklands
n m r
toric a r te r
c r e a ti v e Q u a r te r s o uth G e o r gi a n Q u a r te r
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In each section you’ll find An illustration
My friend and talented designer Ursula Celano created bespoke illustrations for each neighbourhood in the guide, highlighting landmarks you’ll see along the way.
An overview
A flavor of the area, explaining what sets that neighborhood apart.
A gallery
Loads of photos to help you get a feel for the kinds of things you’ll find in the neighbourhood.
A feature
A spot or business in that neighborhood to show in greater focus. Sometimes it’s a cafe, or it might be a shop.
A directory
Places to eat, shop, sleep and explore for that area. This isn’t an exhaustive list of every single business, but a curated list of the places we love, trust and recommend.
Bonus sections I believe that a trip to Dublin isn’t complete without stepping outside the city boundaries to see the mountains, castles or seaside villages, so I’ve included the best day trips. And because packing for a trip to Dublin with its always changing weather isn’t an easy feat, I’ve given you tips on what to pack, whatever the season. SAMPLE
Delightful Dublin is brought to you by:
Emily Westbrooks
Julie Matkin
Emily is a freelance writer and lifestyle blogger based in Dublin. Born and raised in Maine, she worked on American political campaigns before moving to Dublin in 2008. She began her blog, From China Village, to let her family and friends back home see what her new Irish life was like. From China Village has become her online home, where she shares tips for visiting Dublin, DIY projects around her home, and snippets from her travels around the world.
Julie is a lifestyle and wedding photographer with a background in IT. She moved to Dublin from Scotland in 2006 and got to know the city through a lens, exploring with her camera at the weekends. Her love of photography and technology led her to discover an online community of Irish photographers who regularly organised photowalks. Those photographers became friends, and Ireland became home.
Emily has written for various online and print publications, including The Irish Times, The Simple Things Magazine (UK), HOME Magazine (Germany), Poppytalk Handmade, Design*Sponge, and Apartment Therapy. She lives with her husband, Michael, who works as a guidance counsellor in an Irish-speaking high school, and their feisty cat and brood of urban Irish chickens.
www.fromchinavillage.com Twitter @EmilyHolmes
Julie’s work has been published in magazines such as House and Home, Image Interiors & Living, BASH and Garden Heaven. When she isn’t working, she’ll be exploring Ireland and beyond on a motorbike with her husband Ryan or knitting up something cosy to wear, and taking photos of it all to share on her blog.
www.halfadreamaway.com www.shootsknitsandleaves.com Twitter @theelfyone SAMPLE
CONT HEUSTON
HISTORIC
QUARTER
QUARTER page 11
page 40
page 140
page 179
NORTH GEORGIAN
TRINITY COLLEGE
QUARTER
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& DOCKLANDS
page
DELIGH
DAY T
TENTS CREATIVE
SOUTH GEORGIAN
page 79
page 111
QUARTER
e 209
HTFUL
TRIPS
QUARTER
page 256
page 260
PACKING
TRAVEL
TIPS
TIPS
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HISTORIC Quarter SAMPLE
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H I S T OR I C
QUARTER The Historic Quarter is the place I feel the contradiction between old and modern Dublin the most strongly. This neighborhood is the oldest segment of the city, where the original castle walls stood over 800 years ago. Yet if you walk twenty yards, you’ll see modern street art plastered across the next building and minimalist coffee shops serving flat whites to the art school crowd.
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Dublin City Hall
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Great for antique and vintage shopping SAMPLE
While I love and appreciate the wealth of Irish history on our doorstep here in Dublin, what I get really excited about are the contradictions between old and modern throughout the city. The Historic Quarter is the place I daydream about what Dublin was like centuries ago as I walk along the worn, cobbled paths, only to flash forward as modern blue and yellow city buses lumber by. Horse and carriage drivers whose families have lived in the historic Liberties area for generations make u-turns across busy four lane roads. Tiny traditional cottages and large modern apartment blocks sit side by side. I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone visiting Dublin who wasn’t interested in the history of the city. For most of the rest of the world, Irish history is comparatively very, very old. Add to that the fact that recent Irish history, including their fight for independence from the British, was only within the last hundred years, and you’d be remiss to skip the history hotspots around Dublin. But if you focused only on the history hotspots, you’d miss out on some of those moments of beautiful contradiction where old meets modern life that make Dublin so special. SAMPLE
Dublin City Hall
“If I sit and daydream, t a succession of colored s
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Get to know / Historic Quarter
the images rush by like slides.�
- Francis Bacon
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Dublin Castle entrance and Chez Max Restaurant
It might seem strange that just outside Chez Max, one of the most authentic F a great spot for people watching while
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Get to know / Historic Quarter
Time ! f i t i r e p a n a for
e the Dublin Castle gates sits French restaurants in the city, but it’s enjoying an aperitif!
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Clockwise: The Fumbally Cafe, Scout, Find
Get to know / Historic Quarter
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The Jam Art Factory
Every time I see the sign outside the Jam “Design makes you happy, Irish design ma And once inside, you’ll be smiling too. It’s Irish handmade souvenir. At Christmas ti warming on the stove!
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Get to know / Historic Quarter
m Art Factory that reads akes you happier�, I can’t help but smile. s a great stop to find an authentically ime, they often have a pot of mulled wine
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S T RO L L D OWN
FRANCIS STREET
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Stroll Down Francis Street / Historic Quarter
If you stroll down Francis Street from top to bottom, you’ll pass no fewer than ten antique, vintage and second-hand shops, and possibly just as many beautifully lettered signs marking the street as the city’s Antiques Quarter. Cross Café, Euricka Antiques
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Cross CafĂŠ, Anonymous, Yeats Country Antiques, Yeats Country Antiques
From antique art to mid-century modern vintage pieces, each stop makes for delightful window shopping. The street is also home to the Oxfam charity shop, where you might just find an undiscovered gem. But Francis Street could equally qualify as the center of the city’s Street Art Quarter.
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Stroll Down Francis Street / Historic Quarter
At the bottom you’ll find a dilapidated building with all of the window panes broken, covered in bright street art and sometimes advertising gallery shows. Its neighbors have followed suit, spraying the shutters they close with cheerful artwork as well.
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Tivoli Car Park
At the top of the street, you’ll find one of my absolute favorite unexpected spots in the city, the Tivoli Car Park. I know it’s hard to believe I’m going to insist you go out of your way to see a parking lot, but I promise it’s worth it!
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Stroll Down Francis Street / Historic Quarter
Each year, the Tivoli Car Park is host to an annual street art festival, where Irish artists and artists from even outside the country come to spend the whole day creating giant (often poignant) murals of street art. Throughout the year, there might be one or two new additions, which I always find to be the happiest of surprises as I’m walking down the street.
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Tivoli Car Park
For the rest of the year the m only partially blocked by vehic SAMPLE
Stroll Down Francis Street / Historic Quarter
murals remain for us all to see, cles. SAMPLE
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Stroll Down Francis Street / Historic Quarter
The Cross Café is where I stop every morning for coffee, and sometimes return for lunch. Almost as though it’s the resident purveyor of calm, the Cross Gallery and Cross Café sits on the middle of the street, wedged between two antique shops yet overlooking the dilapidated buildings clad in bright purples and blues. Thier coffee is one of my favorite roasts by Irish company Badger & Dodo - and if they have the sweet potato soup with coconut, get it. Served with fresh artisan bread, it’s the perfect lunch or snack. Beyond the Cross Café is the Cross Gallery, curated by Nicholas Gore-Grimes into an oasis of modern and mid-century art. Irish artist Anthony Lyttle can claim responsibility for the mesmerizing piece behind me in the photo, just a taste of what the gallery holds beyond.
Cross Café
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di r e c
SHOP Folkster
A new addition to Temple Bar, Folkster is an extension of popular vintage shop Shutterbug in Kilkenny. Look for vintage clothing, unique designer gowns for special occasions, and a beautiful home section. 11 Eustace Street
Scout
Scout is another new addition to Temple Bar. It stocks beautifully designed clothes and accessories. 5 Essex Street East
Find
Looking for vintage homewares? Find is where you’ll find them! 1 Cow’s Lane
Thunder Solas
Thunder Solas began as a stall at the Cow’s Lane craft market and grew so much that it now has a brick and mortar shop on the same street. It’s your go-to spot for leather goods handmade in the shop itself. 2 Cow’s Lane
Cow’s Lane Designer Studio
A cooperative effort by a selection of talented Irish designers, Cow’s Lane is home to beautiful pottery by KaroArt, carved wood bowls, hats by Shevlin Millinery and lots more, all designed and made in Ireland. Cow’s Lane
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Indigo & Cloth
Indigo & Cloth is a hipster clothing store / coffee counter, but it’s where you can pick up a copy of Kinfolk or Cereal magazine as well as original Irish county screen prints. 9 Essex Street East
Gutter Bookshop
The Gutter Bookshop is a locally owned shop filled with lots of Irish authors. Keep an eye out for their Irish children’s books which make great gifts for kids. Cow’s Lane
Siopaella
Siopaella (or Ella’s Shop in Irish) is a consignment shop specialising in gently used designer labels. Their inventory changes every day, so it’s worth popping in. 8a Crow Street
Jam art factory
Another wonderful spot for picking up a souvenir for yourself or a gift for a friend. Their two shops, one in Temple Bar and one near St. Patrick’s Cathedral, stock products from all Irish artisans - and some of them are a little fun and quirky! 64 Patrick Street / 14 Crown Alley
EAT Queen of Tarts
This sweet cafe has two locations in Temple Bar and serves up yummy salads and sweet treats all day long. Cow’s Lane
Roasted Brown
A delicious lunchtim sambos, well poured selection of homema Filmbase, Temple B
Saturday Farmer Market
Each Saturday, farm producers set up cam Square, rain or shine whole square can be metal umbrellas, kee warm and dry. 4 Cla
Pablo Picante
The burrito has com Pablo Picante gives California twist. I re cremosa salsa on any pleased! 4 Clarendon
Dux & Co
A quirky restaurant customers to BYOB (corkage fees apply). if you book ahead. 5
Bar Pinxto
The sister restauran Port House on South Bar Pinxto serves up Spanish tapas menu atmosphere and is o crowded. 12 Eustace
Cleaver East
For a fancier option, renovated restaurant Decorated with cleav award for most litera 6-8 East Essex Stree
ctory
rown
me spot - filling d coffee and even a ade juices. Bar
armer’s
mers and artisan mp in Meetinghouse e. Thankfully, the e covered by giant eping shoppers arendon Market
icante
me to Ireland and theirs a baja ecommend the ything, you’ll be n Market,
that allows B on the weekends . Great for a crowd 51 Wellington Quay
nt to the popular h William Street, p the same u in a similarly cosy often much less e Street
ast
, try the newly t in Bono’s hotel. vers, it wins the al decor! et
Crackbird
Crackbird began as a pop-up restaurant by Dublin veteran restaurateur Jo Malone but parked it permanently on Dame Street a few years ago. Order the half fried chicken with Asian glaze and easily split between two. 60 Dame Street
Skinflint
Opium
A mix of Asian cuisines, Opium serves sharing starters for your table so you get a taste of everything. Then choose your main course from their noodles and rice dishes with authentic ingredients. Their pre-theatre menu is good value and the music is always great. 26 Wexford Street
Crackbird’s sister, Skinflint, does pizza and ribs by the slab. Drizzle either with local honey and wash down with a local craft brew. 19 Crane Lane
The Fumbally
Zaytoon
Cross Cafe
Cheap and cheerful Greek pitas with fresh ingredients. It’s a good bet after a late night gig. 14/15 Parliament Street
Gallagher’s Boxty House
A bit of a tourist draw, but I still like Gallagher’s for traditional Irish food. Sure, when in Rome! 20-21 Temple Bar
The Cake Cafe
Tucked into the middle of a block of business buildings, The Cake Cafe serves delectable goodies, mostly baked on site. 8 Pleasants Place
Chez Max
My French friend, Ketty, who moved to Dublin ten years ago, says this is the spot she turns to when she’s homesick for French food. 1 Palace Street
Wholesome food served in a funky, lofty interior. It’s hipster bordering on hippy and their chocolate cake is divine. Fumbally Lane The Cross Cafe is almost always a calm, quiet spot to enjoy a peaceful coffee or treat. They do a limited selection of sandwiches for lunch and sometimes soup! 59 Francis Street
The Big Blue Bus at the Bernard Shaw
After a few pints, you’re bound to get the nibbles, so the Bernard Shaw has made it easy for you - just visit their bus on the premesis for freshly baked pizza. 11-12 South Richmond Street
Luncheonette at NCAD
It’s packed with students looking for a bargain, but Luncheonette is a good cafeteria-style deal if you can avoid peak lunch hour. 100 Thomas Street (continued next page)
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SLEEP Morgan Hotel
If you want to be in the thick of busy Temple Bar, the Morgan Hotel is the most modern and fresh hotel you’ll find. 10 Fleet Street
Clarence Hotel
Sitting on the south side of the quays overlooking the River Liffey, the Clarence is owned by Bono and his mates. It’s as fancy as you’ll get in this area. 6-8 Wellington Quay
VISIT gallery of Photography
Great to pair with a trip to the Farmer’s Market on a Saturday, they hold photography exhibits by local and international artists. Meeting House Square
irish Film Institute
If you’re looking for a way to spend a rainy afternoon and you’re all museumed out, check out what kind of quirky, arty films might be playing at the Film Institute. 6 Eustace Street
The Ark
If you’re traveling with children, check out The Ark’s offerings for half-day workshops throughout the year. 11A Eustace Street
NCAD Gallery
The national art college is always a fun gallery to visit to see what the up and coming artists are producing. 100 Thomas Street
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Chester Beatty Library
The Chester Beatty Library, which is more of a museum than a library, is one of the spots I always bring my tours. If you don’t want to pay €13 to see the Book of Kells, you can visit the Art of the Book for free and see works from all around the world dating back thousands of years. Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
I have to admit, Dublin Castle isn’t my favorite castle. However, its courtyard is grand and the Castle’s doors showcase the best Dublin blue color you’ll see around the city. Dame Street
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DUBLIN
LOVE These lively, creative and clever people behind modern Dublin are part of what make it the delightful place it is today. I asked them what makes this the city they love, and here’s what they told me.
“Y ten bea
“ It’s small en big enough to
“ Although it is a capital cit laid back feel on many of its
“ I think Dublin is delightful because of its people and their friendliness.”
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You can enjoy the throng of a bustling city and n minutes later take a solitary walk on the ach or in the mountains.” Ursula Celano, Illustrator
nough to walk around but o get lost.” John Adams, Article shop owner
ty, it still retains a neighbourhood, s bustling streets.”
ner
Clare Grennan, Irish Design Shop owner
Be sure to visit From China Village after your trip and tell me what you love about Dublin! SAMPLE
“Night fell clean and cold in Dublin, and wind beyond my room as if a million pipes played th - Patricia Cornwell SAMPLE
moaned he air.” SAMPLE
L o v ed the s a m p le ? get y o u r c o p y n o w ! Here’s what’s in the rest of the guide:
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more areas
day trips
travel tips
packing tips